This chapter is an introduction to the phenomenon of Arabic and Hebrew in one text from a historical perspective. The chapter includes a general introduction to the Judaeo-Arabic paradigm, as it ...
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This chapter is an introduction to the phenomenon of Arabic and Hebrew in one text from a historical perspective. The chapter includes a general introduction to the Judaeo-Arabic paradigm, as it represents the typical form of Arabic and Hebrew in one text, and information about the linguistic features of the Iraqi Judaeo-Arabic. In addition, it discusses the process of adopting Hebrew by Iraqi Jewish authors in Israel during the early years after their immigration. It ends with a summary of each of the nine selected Hebrew novels discussed in the study.Less

Arabic and Hebrew in One Text: Early Potential, Current Perspective

Mohamed A. H Ahmed

Published in print: 2019-11-01

This chapter is an introduction to the phenomenon of Arabic and Hebrew in one text from a historical perspective. The chapter includes a general introduction to the Judaeo-Arabic paradigm, as it represents the typical form of Arabic and Hebrew in one text, and information about the linguistic features of the Iraqi Judaeo-Arabic. In addition, it discusses the process of adopting Hebrew by Iraqi Jewish authors in Israel during the early years after their immigration. It ends with a summary of each of the nine selected Hebrew novels discussed in the study.

This book, by a group of leading international scholars, outlines the history of the spoken dialects of Arabic from the Arab conquests of the seventh century up to the present day. It specifically ...
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This book, by a group of leading international scholars, outlines the history of the spoken dialects of Arabic from the Arab conquests of the seventh century up to the present day. It specifically investigates the evolution of Arabic as a spoken language, in contrast to the many existing studies that focus on written Classical or Modern Standard Arabic. The volume begins with a discursive introduction that deals with important issues in the general scholarly context, including the indigenous myth and probable reality of the history of Arabic; Arabic dialect geography and typology; types of internally and externally motivated linguistic change; social indexicalization; and pidginization and creolization in Arabic-speaking communities. Most chapters then focus on developments in a specific region—Mauritania, the Maghreb, Egypt, the Levant, the Northern Fertile Crescent, the Gulf, and South Arabia—with one exploring Judaeo-Arabic, a group of varieties historically spread over a wider area. The remaining two chapters in the volume examine individual linguistic features of particular historical interest and controversy, specifically the origin and evolution of the b- verbal prefix, and the adnominal linker –an/–in. The volume will be of interest to scholars and students of the linguistic and social history of Arabic as well as to comparative linguists interested in topics such as linguistic typology and language change.Less

Published in print: 2018-09-13

This book, by a group of leading international scholars, outlines the history of the spoken dialects of Arabic from the Arab conquests of the seventh century up to the present day. It specifically investigates the evolution of Arabic as a spoken language, in contrast to the many existing studies that focus on written Classical or Modern Standard Arabic. The volume begins with a discursive introduction that deals with important issues in the general scholarly context, including the indigenous myth and probable reality of the history of Arabic; Arabic dialect geography and typology; types of internally and externally motivated linguistic change; social indexicalization; and pidginization and creolization in Arabic-speaking communities. Most chapters then focus on developments in a specific region—Mauritania, the Maghreb, Egypt, the Levant, the Northern Fertile Crescent, the Gulf, and South Arabia—with one exploring Judaeo-Arabic, a group of varieties historically spread over a wider area. The remaining two chapters in the volume examine individual linguistic features of particular historical interest and controversy, specifically the origin and evolution of the b- verbal prefix, and the adnominal linker –an/–in. The volume will be of interest to scholars and students of the linguistic and social history of Arabic as well as to comparative linguists interested in topics such as linguistic typology and language change.

The term ‘Judaeo-Arabic’ refers to a type of Arabic that was used by Jews and was distinct in some way from other types of Arabic. It is by no means a uniform linguistic entity and the term is used ...
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The term ‘Judaeo-Arabic’ refers to a type of Arabic that was used by Jews and was distinct in some way from other types of Arabic. It is by no means a uniform linguistic entity and the term is used to refer to both written forms of Arabic and also spoken dialects. The first section of the chapter examines the various forms of written Judaeo-Arabic and their importance for the history of Middle Arabic and Arabic dialects. A classification of written texts into three broad periods may be made: these periods being Early Judaeo-Arabic, Classical Judaeo-Arabic, and Late Judaeo-Arabic. The second section of the chapter gives an overview of the Arabic dialects spoken by Jewish communities in the Middle East. Most of these dialects differ in some way from the dialects spoken by their Muslim and Christian neighbours. They are far more diverse in their structure than the various literary forms of Judaeo-Arabic.Less

Judaeo-Arabic

Geoffrey Khan

Published in print: 2018-09-13

The term ‘Judaeo-Arabic’ refers to a type of Arabic that was used by Jews and was distinct in some way from other types of Arabic. It is by no means a uniform linguistic entity and the term is used to refer to both written forms of Arabic and also spoken dialects. The first section of the chapter examines the various forms of written Judaeo-Arabic and their importance for the history of Middle Arabic and Arabic dialects. A classification of written texts into three broad periods may be made: these periods being Early Judaeo-Arabic, Classical Judaeo-Arabic, and Late Judaeo-Arabic. The second section of the chapter gives an overview of the Arabic dialects spoken by Jewish communities in the Middle East. Most of these dialects differ in some way from the dialects spoken by their Muslim and Christian neighbours. They are far more diverse in their structure than the various literary forms of Judaeo-Arabic.

Letters were an essential means of communication for the Jews living under Islam in the Middle Ages. The traditional seats of Jewish learning were in Baghdad and Jerusalem, but their constituencies ...
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Letters were an essential means of communication for the Jews living under Islam in the Middle Ages. The traditional seats of Jewish learning were in Baghdad and Jerusalem, but their constituencies were scattered across the world. Letters frequently passed between Egypt and Palestine and Egypt and Iraq, as Jews sought halakhic knowledge, rulings, influence, and political advantage from their leaders, and dignitaries sought to govern their distant communities and ensure the continued flow of funding. At a lower level, letters passed between communal officials and prominent citizens, between petitioners and public servants. Jews were heavily involved in trade; a network of traders relied upon the written letter to organize cargoes, settle debts, or discuss political rumours. This chapter outlines the distinct medieval epistolary styles used in Hebrew and Judaeo-Arabic correspondence. The internal development of these letters, choices of language, layout, and style are discussed within their historical and sociolinguistic framework.Less

‘These Two Lines …’ : Hebrew and Judaeo-Arabic Letter Writing in the Classical Genizah Period

Esther-Miriam WagnerBen Outhwaite

Published in print: 2017-12-21

Letters were an essential means of communication for the Jews living under Islam in the Middle Ages. The traditional seats of Jewish learning were in Baghdad and Jerusalem, but their constituencies were scattered across the world. Letters frequently passed between Egypt and Palestine and Egypt and Iraq, as Jews sought halakhic knowledge, rulings, influence, and political advantage from their leaders, and dignitaries sought to govern their distant communities and ensure the continued flow of funding. At a lower level, letters passed between communal officials and prominent citizens, between petitioners and public servants. Jews were heavily involved in trade; a network of traders relied upon the written letter to organize cargoes, settle debts, or discuss political rumours. This chapter outlines the distinct medieval epistolary styles used in Hebrew and Judaeo-Arabic correspondence. The internal development of these letters, choices of language, layout, and style are discussed within their historical and sociolinguistic framework.